Means for coupling and uncoupling relatively movable members of machines



F. M. SNYDERM MEANS FOR` COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RELATIVELY MOVABLE MEMBERS 0F MACHINES.

APPLICATON FILED JUNE19, 1920. 1,382, i

F. M. SNYDER.

MEANS FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RELATIVELY MOVABLE MEMBERS 0F MACHlNES. APPLlcAmN man JUNE 19. 1320.

l,382,1 31 Patented June 21, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z. Fig

(1R01 ne n) UNITED sTATlLsv PATENT poifriciaf A FRANCIS MARION sNYDEB0F 'MANs'rIELn oIIIo.

MEANS FOR GOUPLING AND 'UNCOUPLING RELATIVELY MOVABLE MEMBERS Oli" f MACHINES.

Specification 0f Letters Patent- Patented June 21, 1921.

Application filed .Tune 19, 1920. Serial No. $904,230;

To @ZZ whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, FRANCIS MARION SNYnnn, a citizen of the United States of finierica, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Coupling and Unconphng Relatively Movable Members of Machines, of which the following is a specification.. i

This invention relates to a coupling inechanism and is especially adapted for coupling vthe walking beam of well drilling machines to the crank of the band wheel shaft.

It is well known to those skilled in the art of drilling for water, oil,V gas or for other purposes that in operating the drilling tool `it is necessary to provide a clamping means for clamping to the rope to which the drill and other appliances are attached which clamping means must be adjustable on the rope jat different positions for the Vpurpose of drilling deeper into the soil when desired.

In the use and operation of well drilling machines the customary and conventional manner of operating same is to disconnect and remove the pitman ,from the walking beam and crank pin of the band wheel shaft thereby permitting the walking beam to idleV while the clamping means on the rope is being adjusted bythe operator.k

It is obvious that in disconnecting or connecting the conventionalV type of pitman to .the elements referred to that it requires considerable labor and time; thatV during the time such changes are being made no drilling is being performed resulting in loss of efficiency and increasing the expense and labor of drilling. f

It is further `well known to those skilled in the art of the operation of drilling machines that in order to disconnect the pitinan from the crank Apin-of the band wheel shaft of the conventional type of well drilling machines that the connections of the pitman to the crank pin and walking beam must be fittedso as to leave considerable lost motion between-the connecting parts to Apermit the pitman to be moved laterally in the operation of withdrawing thepitman `from its connection to the crank pin of the band wheelshaft which results in permitting the partsto vpound and vibrate with .resultant lossof efciency drilling machine.

in `the l operation of the well f One of the objects therefore of the present invention is to provide meansV o f coupling and connecting the walking beam and crank pin ofthe band wheel shaft by means of a pitman which can be closely fitted to the connecting parts thereby obviating the lost motion incident to the loose connections referred to. f

Another object is to provide means of` coupling and uncoupling `the' pitman conveniently and expeditiously from the walking beam by the manipulation of a cable attached to the said mechanismby exerting a pull thereon. Y

A further object is to provide means of maintaining the pitman in a predetermined position and in alinement with the bearing provided in the walking beamwhen` the pit man is in uncoupledposition'.

These and other objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in whichz. Lft

Figure lis a side elevation of a portion of a drilling machine showing thepitman coupled or connected to r.the walking 'beam thereof.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the. walking beam having monntedthereon a slidable coupling member.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portionof a drilling machine showing the walking beam disconnected or uncoupled from the pitman with a portion of the framework of the derrick omitted to more clearly show its opera tion.

Fig. 4: is an end elevation ofthe pitman showing a yoke attached .thereto with a horizontal shaft `journaled thereon. Y f

In the drawings the 'invention is shown applied `to a well drilling machneas it is vespecially adapted to be usedl combination therewith. It is obvious, however, thatthe inventioncan be used with equal eficiency machine is provided with the usual crank 3 and .the shaft fis journaled fin boxes `9. Y A

\ band wheel l()V ismounted .upon .they band y extending medium of the slot 16.

-mounted upon the memberl -ed to be slidably'opeiatec Wheel shaft 7 receiving povver to rotate the shaft from any source of supply through the f medium of the belt 11. Adrum 1-2 ismpro; Y. The drill ropeV is Wound around the drum 12 at one end andi passes over the peripheryv deeper into the soil the elaniping mechanism vided forl thedrill rope 13.

its opposite end of the sheave pulley 14. AThe downwardly portion 15 of the drill rope 13 is guided by the Walking The drill 17 is attachedto the drill .rope in the'c'onventional mannen The sheave kpulley 14 as shown in the drawings is preferably mounted adjacent to the upper end of the derrick 18..

' The mechanism hereinbefore described is of the ordinary and conventional form therefore no claim is made to theelements described or comblnations thereof. In applying the elements ofvthe'presentfinvention and combinations thereof to the parts above described and combining said elements With `others hereinlafter'c'lescribedto carry out the objects of the present-invention Va p'itman 19 lis provided having one end attached to the crank Apin v2O ofthe crank 3Q The free end of the Vpitman is preferably lprovided with bars 21 and 22 which are fastened to the'endV of the -pitman 19and curved to provide a yoke 23 as shown inFig. v4.-llrV shaft 24 is journaled to the upper itsends 25 -and 26 l of the yoke as shown in'Fig.'p4.' shaft portion `of the yoke and v27is j ournaled'tothe derriek 18 and :a walking beam28 is pivotally secured thereto for oscillationl by a journalbearing 29. fn base block member V30'lhaving an openbearing- V31 provided thereon isv fitted to one end o f the Walking beam and issecurely fastened thereto by any Well. known fastening means such as bolts 432 or the like. A

Af sliding member '33 having an inclined portion or'cam 34 formed on itsl end'is 30 and is adaptthereon. The sliding member 33 is provided with slots 35 toreceivel bolts 36to guide the sliding meinber 33 Whenthe same is operated! for the purposeintended.:` The heads offthe bolts 36am adapted to be adjusted'i'n closer-ontact inthe top 'of the sli ding vmember ltio preventV same from being` displaced when the sliding member isoperated.' Y i v Y The cross bar' 37 of the sliding member 33 has one end of acoil spring 33 'attached thereto and its opposite end is attached to a pin 39 Which is secured tothe member 30 in such afmanner as to exert a tension of thespring to force the end of 'the sliding member to normally V@over the opening in the bearing 31.7` Iny other `words* the tension ofthespring 38 is exerted to force thefend of the sliding plate to cover the open portion of the j bearingy 31 `When the pitman is connected to the Walking beam for performing the operation of drilling.:` f

beam` through the.

extend' 4vbeyond the sides 'ment to the sliding member 33 'to discon- -nectthe Walkingl beam fromthe' Vshaft 24 the following mechanism Vis employed: A bracket '41' is provided and a sheave pulley 40 must be adjusted to leave a predetermined/amount of rope betiveen the clamping mechanism and the end of the drill.

lt will be further understood by those skilled in the art that an adjustment of the clamping means 40 at regular intervals (usually about one-half hour apart) must be madeV and that vduring the adjustment of said Aclamping means on thedrill rope that the drill rope must idle. lt is also necessary infthe useV of the conventional type of Vcon-A nections Vbetween the Walking beam and crank pin of the band Wheel shaft tov disconnect the 'pitman from the crank pin to `permit the Walking Vbeam `to idle thereby making it necessary to perform considerable 1 labor and resulting in consideralglle loss of time that would otherwise be employed in 'drilling if means ivere'employed to dis# connect and connect the pitman and vvalking beam automatically and instantly by 42.,fjournaled thereon as shown in fFig. 2.

'A cable 43 isfatrtache'd at one end t6 a cross bar 37 leaving its Yfree end 44 positioned in Aclose proximity'to the operator. When a v-pu'll is exerted (assuming that 'thejclamp' 40 105 has been released from'` the drill rope 13) npon the end of the cable 44 the spring 38 is stretched andtheendof the 'sliding mem# ber 33Y movet uncover the *open` portion ofthe bearing 31\thereby"automatically and "110 instantly"'disconnecting the shaft 24v carried fby the yoke 23 "from the pitman`19.' The Weight Vof thebase *block inemben 30'V is made to overbalaneethe opposite end lof the Walking beam, clampingmeans and con- 115 nections. Y In ord'erto maintain at all times the yoke of thepitman and shaft 24 in direct alinement with the `open bearing 31"y provided inthebase block member, bars l45 and 4G 120 are'pivotally connected to the shaft 27 and to the extending'ends of the shaft 24 in the samer radius as the Walking beam is conn ected to the shaft 27 with respect to the open portion of the bearingy 31. l

ylt'ivill be observed'that when the operator ene'rts a pullnpon the temper screw the Walkingbeam r'vill be oscillated and the opening to "theibearing' 31 formed in the Walking p beam Will engage and couple to the horiaonl clamping means on the rope is being made.

same to the beam is oscillated for the purpose of cou-l pling same to lthe `shaft 24, the inclined end 34 of the sliding member is forced to contact with the shaft 24 and by'impact or pressure between the parts movement is imparted to the sliding member 33 thereby uncovering'the opening provided to the bearing 31 `to permit access-of the shaft 24 thereto for coupling purposes, the sliding member 38 being automatically forced by the tension of the springto its normal coupling position covering the opening in the bearing 8l and shaft `24.

lVhen the Walking beam 28 is disconnected or uncoupled from the-shaft 24 the Walking beam pivots Ibygravity to the position shown in Fig. 3 which is the most desirable andl preferable idle position for the beam "to be maintained in While the adjustment of the In order `to maintain thebeam inthe position shown a1 in 47 is secured to the Walking beam an a -latch 48 is secured to the derrick in alinement with the pin 47 to yieldingly connect with and hold the Walking beam When the Walking beam is uncoupled from the shaft 24 of the pitman. A spring 48 maintains the latch 48 in normal. position. When it is desired to release the Walking beam preparatory to coupling shaft 24 of the pitman for operation a pull is exerted on the cable 49 forcing the latch 48 to pivot thereby causing the beam to become released from the latch 48.

Reference numeral 50 represents the bailer and 51 the bailer rope.

It Will be observed that the operator of a Well drillingmachine equipped with the cou-- mechanism herein described can couuncouple the Walking beam from the pitman instantly by simply exerting a pull on the cables or the like hereinbefore described Which results in greater efficiency in the operation of drilling on account of the saving of time and labor lost in disconnecting and connecting the conventional. pitman from the Walking beam to permit the walking beam and drill rope to idle While adjusting the clamping means on the drill ro e.

iXttention is called to the fact that in the present invention the pitman is disconnected from the Walking beam and its Weight is supported for crank pin of the band Wheel thereby relieving the Walking beam of the extra Weight of the pitman which is incident to the present practice of disconnecting the pitman from the crank pin of the conventional type of drilling machines for the purpose of maintaining the Walking beam in idle position.

In supporting the pitman by thev crank pin of the band Wheel shaft instead of by the Walking beam for idling purposes as depling ple or coupling purposes by they scribed a deeper hole can be bored in the soil quicker, with less labor and fewer `Workmen than by drilling machines of the `same sizewhich are not equipped With the coupling mechanism of the present invention because the Walking beam can be manipulated or lifted to coupling position by the .operator With less exertion or laborV on accou-nt of the'` fact that the Weight of the pitman is supported by the crank pin of the 74 band Wheel shaft instead of being supported bythe Walking beam as is the case in the use of a conventional type of drilling machines@ I claim: Y

l. In combination, a Walking` beam, a 0 crank shaft, a crank pin secured to the crank, a pitman secured to the crank pin at one end, a yoke provided on its opposite end, a shaft secured to said yoke, a base block member provided with an open bearing for the yoke shaft secured to the` Walking beam, and a slidable member mounted upon said 'base block `member normally covering the a yoke, a shaft secured to said yoke, a base .block member provided with an open bear- '95 ing for the yoke shaf and secured to the walking beam,` a slidable member mounted upon said base block member normally covering the open portion of the bearing and means for imparting movement to the slid- 1 0() able plate to uncouple or couple the Walking beam and pitman.

3. In combination, a' Walking beam, a crank shaft, a crank pin securedy to the crank, a pitman secured toJ the crank pin at one end and its opposite end being provided With a yoke, a shaft secured to said yoke, a base block member provided with an open bearing for the yoke shaft and secured to the walking beam, a upon said base block member normally covering the open portion of the bearing, means for imparting movement to the slidable member to uncouple or couple the Walking beam and pitman and means to maintain the l provided with a shaft attached to said pit- V man, a slidable member mounted on one end of the'beam and means to operate the sliding member to force it to cover or uncover the open bearing in the Walking beam.

6,'In combination, a Walking beam, means 130 slidable member mounted 110i 4 to Slightly over-balanceone end'of the beam whichV is provided with an open bearing and y.

mounted upon one end 'of the beam and means associated With the last mentioned me'ans which is adapted when movementl -is l-adapted to engage each other, and means to couple the shaft to the Walking beam.

8. In a driliingmachine, a Walking beam,

Vpitman provided With a yoke, a shaftjournaled thereon, a block having an open bear' ing mounted upon end of the Walking beam; said shaft and open bearing being adapted to engage each other, and means to couple the shaft to the Walking beam,^and uncouple the shaft fromthe Walking beam.

9. In combination, a Walking beam, a block having an open bearing secured to one end of the Walking beam and of 'such gravity as to over-balance one end of the beam, a pitman provided with a yoke and a shaft, and means to couple and uncouplethe shaft to or from the Walking beam. Y

10. `In a drilling machine, a Walking beam, a pitman, means to connect o r disconnect the pitman from the Walking beam, anda 'block secured to one` end of thevvalking ybeam of such Weight as to over-balancek the beam which is also provided With an open bearing.

ll. In a drilling machine a Walking beam, a pitman, means to connect or disconnect the pitman, a block secured to one end of the Walking beam adapted to over-ba1ance the Walking beam at one end, and means to auto- -matically maintain the pitman at a pre-de` termined position'after the actuation ofthe ,uncoupling means to uncouple the beam1 from the pitman. 4

In testimony WhereofI aiiiX my signature.

FRANCIS, MARIONSNYDER. 

